International Uyghur Forum 2026

This year marks the tenth year since the mass internment campaign that began in 2016. Rather than receding, the persecution of the Uyghur people has deepened and evolved. The infrastructure of repression has been entrenched, refined, and in many respects normalized — domestically by the Chinese government and internationally by the silence or complicity of economic and diplomatic partners.

The forum will focus on international responses to the Uyghur genocide and the full spectrum of ongoing human rights violations, including racial discrimination, physical and psychological torture, forced labour, transnational repression, restrictions on freedom of religion or belief, linguistic and cultural erasure, and the systematic separation of Uyghur families.

As of early 2026, eleven parliaments — the United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Lithuania, Taiwan, and the European Parliament — have formally recognized that the crimes committed against the Uyghur people constitute genocide and/or crimes against humanity. In August 2022, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights concluded that violations against Uyghurs may constitute crimes against humanity.

The forum aims to bring together approximately 150 participants, including parliamentarians, politicians, leading Uyghur rights advocates, civil society representatives, scholars, legal experts, journalists, Uyghur leaders, and Uyghur witnesses from around the world.

IUF 2022, Brussels

Held in Brussels and organized by the World Uyghur Congress and partners, the forum gathered over 200 participants from 20+ countries to discuss international responses to the Uyghur genocide. It emphasized the role of the EU and global actors in ensuring accountability and concluded with the Brussels Declaration calling for urgent, concrete action.

IUF 2023, Tokyo

Hosted in Tokyo at Japan’s National Diet, this edition brought together 150+ participants from 25+ countries, focusing on legal and political strategies to address ongoing abuses such as forced labour and transnational repression. It ended with a declaration outlining coordinated international actions to advance accountability and counter the Uyghur genocide.

IUF 2026, Berlin

The third International Uyghur Forum, organized by the World Uyghur Congress and the Uyghur Center for Democracy and Human Rights, will take place in Berlin from June 11–13, 2026, marking ten years since the start of China’s mass internment campaign. It aims to shift the global response from recognition to accountability by advancing coordinated strategies on forced labour, transnational repression, cultural preservation, family reunification, and legal action.

I am delighted to announce the “International Uyghur Forum (IUF) – “Ten Years Since the Camps: From Recognition to Accountability - What’ s Next?”, which will be held from 11-13 June 2026 in Berlin, Germany.

On behalf of the World Uyghur Congress, I am honored to welcome distinguished international participants, including parliamentarians, scholars, civil society representatives, Uyghur leaders, witnesses, camp survivors, and members of the global Uyghur diaspora. We gather with a shared purpose: to deepen cooperation and advance concrete, coordinated actions to address the ongoing genocide of Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples, in the context of an increasingly complex regional and international security environment spanning East Turkistan, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Over the past decade, there has been important progress in raising international awareness. A growing number of parliaments, governments, and independent bodies have recognized that the crimes committed against the Uyghur people constitute genocide and crimes against humanity. Yet recognition alone is not enough. In the absence of sustained, coordinated, and meaningful action, these violations have persisted and, in many respects, become normalized.

Our objective is clear: to move decisively from recognition to accountability. This means strengthening enforcement against forced labour in global supply chains, ensuring protection for Uyghur refugees and diaspora communities, safeguarding linguistic and cultural rights, advancing family reunification, and pursuing credible legal avenues to hold perpetrators accountable.

It is in this context that we convene the third International Uyghur Forum. The Forum comes at a critical moment — not only to reflect on what has changed over the past ten years, but also to confront what has not. It provides a unique platform to bring together parliamentarians, legal experts, civil society actors, and Uyghur representatives to exchange knowledge, strengthen cooperation, and develop coordinated responses to ongoing challenges.

The time to act is now.

We are honored to welcome this important gathering and its distinguished participants—including parliamentarians, scholars, civil society representatives, Uyghur leaders, and members of the global Uyghur diaspora. As this year marks ten years since the establishment of the camps, we come together with a shared purpose: to strengthen cooperation and advance concrete action in response to the ongoing Uyghur genocide, transnational repression, and forced Uyghur labour—issues that extend beyond the Uyghur community and pose broader challenges to global security and human rights.

It’s Time to Call it Genocide — IUF 2022